Good Scary Movies to Rent

Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 3:53 pm

If you like your movies with an extra helping of horror, then be sure to take a look at this list of good scary movies to rent. There’s something here to please fans of every horrifying sub-genre, from little girls puking up pea soup to lethal flying silver orbs. If you can weather all of these films, then you’re certainly made of sterner stuff than most.

Since we’re talking about good scary movies to rent, I’d like to recommend Netflix as an ideal place to obtain these horror classics. Netflix offers traditional DVD and Blu-ray rentals, plus movies can be streamed instantly over your PC, TV, or mobile device. There are no late fees to worry about, and their ever-growing library of films numbers more than 100,000. Click here to become a Netflix member, and you’ll quickly see what all the fuss is about.

Phantasm (1979) – A twenty-something musician is raising his teenage brother while the residents of their small town seem to be dying off at an alarming rate. After teaming up with the local ice cream man (Reggie Bannister), the heroes become convinced that the local mortician (dubbed “The Tall Man”) is to blame. This leads them on a nightmarish quest to halt the recent string of murders, but first they’ll have to combat killer orbs, zombie dwarfs, and the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm) himself. Directed by Don Coscarelli, the film would spawn three sequels.

Halloween (1978) – If they teach a class on generating suspense in film school, this early John Carpenter horror masterpiece should definitely be on the syllabus. Almost single-handedly helping to create the slasher sub-genre, the film deals with the murderous Michael Myers and his reappearance in the quiet town of Haddonfield. Chaos and bloody murder ensues. Jamie Lee Curtis is the innocent babysitter who’s stalked by the madman, and Donald Pleasence is the maniac’s gun-wielding psychiatrist. One of the most profitable indie films of all time.

The Ring (2002) – The American remake of the popular Japanese film stars Naomi Watts as a snoopy reporter who watches a cursed videotape and gets marked for death in seven days. As time ticks away, she struggles to understand the curse; how to stop it; and what the creepy, long-haired girl in the videotape has to do with it. Filled with the kind of bizarre twists and turns you’d expect from a film adapted from a Japanese work, The Ring co-stars Brian Cox, Martin Henderson, and David Dorfman. A sequel would follow, but this one is far superior.

Black Christmas (1974) – Four years before Halloween used the POV shot for its killer, Robert Clark was doing the same thing for this suspenseful movie about a lunatic loose in a sorority house. The cast includes names such as Elizabeth Hussey, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon, and the whacked-out phone calls made by the cackling killer will stick with you for days. Far superior to the modern-day remake, Black Christmas is sadly overlooked in casual discussions of great horror flicks from the 1970s and 1980s. Don’t make the same mistake.

Paranormal Activity (2009) – Made on a budget of around $15,000, this indie hit got the support of the Internet community and managed to gross over $190 million before it was all said and done. A suburban couple in San Diego are haunted by an invisible assailant, and the smartass boyfriend installs cameras around the house to capture the events. He doesn’t like what he sees, and the increasing “things that go bump in the night” will cause many to leave the room in a panic. Think The Blair Witch Project set inside a house, and you’ll get an idea of just how effective this film is.

The Shining (1980) – Jack Nicholson stars in this Stanley Kubrick adaptation of the Stephen King novel about madness and isolation. Jack Torrance (Nicholson) signs up to be the winter caretaker of a resort hotel, but he soon finds that something is terribly wrong with the place. As he slowly develops a case of the crazies, his wife and child must figure out an exit strategy. Meanwhile, blood gushes from the elevator, guys in bizarre costumes receive blowjobs, and corpses in bathtubs want to make out with the living. If you’re easily disturbed, you might want to skip this one.

Audition (1999) – Women aren’t to be trifled with, especially Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina). When a middle-aged widower (Ryo Ishibashi) gets involved with the quiet beauty, he has no idea of the kind of hell he’s about to unleash. Just ask the guy who’s bound inside a sack and forced to eat human vomit from a dog bowl. Not surprisingly, this wicked little gem was made by Japanese shock-master Takashi Miike.

The Omen (1976) – Gregory Peck and Lee Remick play a well-off couple who experience a series of macabre events involving their young son Damien (such as his babysitter hanging herself during his fifth birthday party). Of course, it turns out that Damien isn’t their son at all, having been substituted for their stillborn baby at the beginning of the film. No, Damien’s father is a bit more well-known. (Cue Dana Carvey’s Church Lady). Could it be….Satan!? Two sequels would follow, plus a crappy modern-day remake.

The Exorcist (1973) – Little Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) is possessed by a demon, and stopping the creature will require the aid of a veteran exorcist (Max Von Sydow) and a priest on the verge of losing his faith (Jason Miller). Regan spits pea soup, slaps her mother, does obscene things with a crucifix, and walks like a freaky-assed spider. Audiences in the ‘70s didn’t know what to make of this nightmarish film, but they knew they liked it. It was nominated for 10 Oscars and is the all-time champ when it comes to the highest-grossing horror movies.

The Exorcist III (1990) – George C. Scott stars in this unlikely and surprisingly excellent horror entry. Tied into events from the first film, Scott is a cop haunted by demons from his past. But those demons soon become very real, as he encounters a long-dead face staring back at him from behind the padded walls of a hospital’s psych ward. Includes odd cameos from Patrick Ewing, Fabio, and Larry King. While the latter is terrifying enough, it can’t match the deeds of a serial killer who likes cutting the heads off victims and draining them of every drop of blood. Brad Dourif takes his creep factor to a whole new level, and the Oscar-winning Scott gets to portray about every emotion in the book. If you’re a horror fan, don’t miss this one.

There are plenty more good scary movies to rent, and I encourage you to share your own selections in our comments section. All the films listed above can be found at Netflix, and you can become a Netflix subscriber by clicking this link. We do get a small commission if you sign up, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra. I’ve been a member since 2005, so I know what I’m talking about.

Fans of horror movies are also encouraged to read the following articles from Only Good Movies:

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 9th, 2010 at 3:53 pm and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “Good Scary Movies to Rent”

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September 10, 2010

RC

i liked how you skipped the exorcist 2 what garbage. I would add the halloween remake also not bad good movie to compare the originals to. Maybe Deliverance too i know its not technically a horror movie but it haunts my dreams.

September 13, 2010

Chris

I can’t believe you referenced the Church Lady, but it was perfect when speaking of the Omen. That movie still gives me the creeps.

April 2, 2011

anna

i wish i could find a scary movie that would scare the pants off me.i have watched alot i love scary movies but they dont scare me.

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